Shanghai Daily Reports "Glimpse of Disney Plans"

WATER will be a prominent feature of Shanghai Disneyland, according to artwork providing a tantalizing glimpse of the forthcoming theme park.

Though the plan unveiled by the Walt Disney Company is short on detail, it appears to include a castle, a mountain and numerous lakes and rivers running across the first Disneyland on China's mainland.

However, the traditional Main Street USA themed land does not appear to feature, leading to speculation that the Shanghai Disneyland entrance will differ from the usual Disney template.

However, pictures of exploding fireworks and thick cloud block out some details of the design, which is still at the draft stage.

The Walt Disney Company gave a peek of how Shanghai Disneyland may look at the 2011 Investor Conference in the United States recently.

Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, called Shanghai Disneyland "our most exciting opportunity since Walt first bought land in Florida in 1964."

Meanwhile, Shanghai expects the future theme park to boost its status as a world tourism city - which the city has pledged to do within five years.

The phase 1 Disneyland is expected to attract 7.3 million visitors a year when it opens in 2015. Shanghai Disneyland will feature three theme parks - "Magic Kingdom," details of which have been made public, and possibly "Epcot" and "Animal Kingdom."